Hi
Just would like to say that Coastal Command is one of the forgotten arms of the RAF in War Time, perhaps because of my family connection I am more aware of it than most. My cousin a Erdingtonian was a pilot on the Sunderland Flying boats he was stationed at Pembroke Dock. He is buried in Erdington Abbey
These "boats" as they called them, spent up to 16 hours in the air at a time searching for U boats and sinking them and protecting the convoys from North America, the Canadians went so far and Coastal Command took over after that. They not only protected our shipping but they also rescued downed airmen putting their own lives at risk on occassions.
If you are interested I have done a memorial website to my cousin Maurice Vincent Wareing and the crew of DW110 (the aircraft call sign) it is www.freewebs.com/dw110 we are still trying to trace some of the other crew members families. You will see at the end a poem I wrote for a TV programme which was filmed in Ireland at the site of his crash, it is called "Why does my Nana Cry" you will also see parts of the "boat" still scattered on the Mountainside 66 years later. I have two bits and a bullet in a case on my desk along with a this picture of the crew Vince is backrow right with the hat - he was only 5ft 6" so he always wore his hat to make him look taller. .View attachment 43631the guy on the left back is a US reporter who went on a mission with them after Howard Armstrong (next to him) and this crew did a very daring rescue of a downed crew for which Armstrong got the DFC (see website for full story) this was taken about a month before they crashed. 5 were killed one died later the last survivor Jim Gilchrist ironically died in 2007 on 31st January which was the same day as the crash in 1944.
Dyan
Lest we forget.
Just would like to say that Coastal Command is one of the forgotten arms of the RAF in War Time, perhaps because of my family connection I am more aware of it than most. My cousin a Erdingtonian was a pilot on the Sunderland Flying boats he was stationed at Pembroke Dock. He is buried in Erdington Abbey
These "boats" as they called them, spent up to 16 hours in the air at a time searching for U boats and sinking them and protecting the convoys from North America, the Canadians went so far and Coastal Command took over after that. They not only protected our shipping but they also rescued downed airmen putting their own lives at risk on occassions.
If you are interested I have done a memorial website to my cousin Maurice Vincent Wareing and the crew of DW110 (the aircraft call sign) it is www.freewebs.com/dw110 we are still trying to trace some of the other crew members families. You will see at the end a poem I wrote for a TV programme which was filmed in Ireland at the site of his crash, it is called "Why does my Nana Cry" you will also see parts of the "boat" still scattered on the Mountainside 66 years later. I have two bits and a bullet in a case on my desk along with a this picture of the crew Vince is backrow right with the hat - he was only 5ft 6" so he always wore his hat to make him look taller. .View attachment 43631the guy on the left back is a US reporter who went on a mission with them after Howard Armstrong (next to him) and this crew did a very daring rescue of a downed crew for which Armstrong got the DFC (see website for full story) this was taken about a month before they crashed. 5 were killed one died later the last survivor Jim Gilchrist ironically died in 2007 on 31st January which was the same day as the crash in 1944.
Dyan
Lest we forget.